


We Are Different, But Together We Might Just Make it Out Alive

by TheHitoro



Series: Subnautica Garbage [1]
Category: Subnautica (Video Game)
Genre: A little what if idea :3, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enjoy!, Gen, Just realized this is gonna be a monster of a fic why do I do this to myself aaAAAAAGGGHHH, Not Beta Read, Renamed it cause another fic had a really similar title .3., These characters are honestly slept on, This fandom is honestly slept on lol, We Die Like Men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-09
Updated: 2019-09-13
Packaged: 2019-10-24 18:47:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 9,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHitoro/pseuds/TheHitoro
Summary: What is it, to defy death? Let's find out.orThe survivors all make it to the rendezvous, but it's going to be a bumpy ride getting off this rock.Chapter's 9 and 14 are different now so check them out .3.





	1. Lifepod 02 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Chief Technical Officer Asura Yu' has boarded the lifepod]_

_[Crew Member 'Engineer Calvin Berkely' has boarded the lifepod]_  
  
_BERKELY: Go go_ _go, move move move!_  
  
_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_  
  
_BERKELY: What the hell happened to the ship!?_  
_CTO YU: No idea, the captain didn't say anything about a debris field, and that was a big explosion..._  
  
_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

 

_BERKELY: Look at the ship!_

_CTO YU: What could even do damage like that?! Is there some sort of weapon down there!?_

_BERKELY: And who would be building a superweapon on some literal backwater planet on the Ariadne Arm?_

_CTO YU: Who wouldn't?_

  
_[Lifepod impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Floatation deployment failed]_

_[Hull damage sustained]_

  
_BERKELY: I think we've finally hit the water. Shit, we're sinking!_

_CTO YU: Flotation devices failed!_

  
_*Sound of flooding*_

 

 _BERKELEY: We're flooding, evacuate!_  
  
_CTO YU: Wait, I can reconfigure the O₂ system to act as a bilge pump!_  
  
_BERKELEY: It's working!_  
  
_*Crash*_  
  
_CTO YU: OK, good news: we're alive, and we've stopped sinking._  
  
_BERKELEY: Bad?_  
  
_CTO YU: The O₂'s going to run out in 30 minutes and we're 500 meters down._  
  
_BERKELEY: What do we do?_  
  
_CTO YU: We'll have to use the remaining juice to send a distress call and build whatever gear we can, then we find a way to the surface._

_*CTO Yu starts to send the distress call*_

_*Berkely presumably looks out of the top hatch of the lifepod*_

_BERKELY: There's something big out there, Yu_

_*A muffled keening sound echoes through the lifepod*_

_*CTO Yu finishes sending the distress call and presumably looks out of the top hatch of the lifepod*_

_CTO YU: Lets wait for that thing to get out of sight before we go out, shall we?_

_BERKELY: Sounds like a plan, boss_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first 10 chapters are gonna be like this, y'all should tell me if you'd rather have the whole story be told in this format via crew logs and such or as an actual story in third person it's y'alls choice :3
> 
> And yeah some of the dialogue for the first logs are gonna get pulled from the game just fyi 
> 
> I just decided to do a whole detachment log because it felt more complete like this, and theres gonna be one for each of the ten lifepods


	2. Lifepod 03 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Contractor 'Submersible Vehicle Expert Gale Jamesson' has boarded the lifepod]_

 

_[Crew Member 'Janitorial Personnel Jane Chronister' has boarded the lifepod]_

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

 

_CHRONISTER: Thanks for waiting up, you're a life saver!_

_JAMESSON: Well I couldn't just leave by myself when there's room for one more._

 

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

 

_CHRONISTER: That's a lot of damage..._

_JAMESSON: Sheesh, what'd they do, blow up the engine?!_

 

_[Lifepod impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Flotation deployment failed]_

 

_*Sounds of lifepod crashing against seafloor*_

 

_CHRONISTER: Well at the very least we survived, so there's that._

_JAMESSON: Indeed, now let's make sure we've got everything we're supposed to have in here._

 

_*Gale presumably begins to root through the storage unit*_

 

_JAMESSON: Jane, I believe we've hit the lottery!_

_CHRONISTER: And what makes you say that?_

_JAMESSON: We've got a databox for a compass, and a seaglide! Given the seaglide is busted to all hell and it looks like there's not even a batttery on it, but we have a seaglide on an ocean planet!_

_CHRONISTER: No battery?! Then what's the use!_

_JAMESSON: Hold on, I might have something on me that'll make a good replacement. how about you go ahead and send a distress call while I work on this._

_CHRONISTER: Sounds good._

_*The two presumably go about their tasks*_

_CHRONISTER: Alright, distress call sent, how's that seaglide looking?_

_JAMESSON Take a look for yourself!_

_CHRONISTER: You really think it'll carry two of us?_

_JAMESSON: Your regular seaglide tows a mass of 80 kg at over 30 km/h. The power cell I rigged to this one should double that._

_CHRONISTERE: You think there's something out there faster?_

_JAMESSON: Oh, sure. And that's assuming it doesn't overload three meters away from the lifepod._

_CHRONISTER: Thr- We can't bet on something like that!_

_JAMESSON: Well do you want to swim to the rendezvous then?_

_CHRONISTER: How about we wait till we get our hands on a scanner before we use that thing, so it can tell us if it'll blow us to bits when we use it._

_JAMESSON: Fine, but if something comes at us, I'm gonna pull it out._

_CHRONISTER: Sounds like a plan, but let's just stick to the surface and look out for any lifepods, alright?_

_JAMESSON: Fine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one
> 
> Remember to comment telling me if you would rather have the rest of the story after the launch logs to be told as a story or a series of logs :D


	3. Lifepod 04 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Navigations Officer Victor Gavinz' has boarded the lifepod]_

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

_*Victor is dead silent and tense in his seat*_

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Breaching planetary atmosphere]_

_[Impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Floation deployment successful]_

_*Victor let's out a long sigh of relief*_

_GAVINZ: That's a godsend right there now let's-_

_PDA: _Detecting multiple leviathan class lifeforms in the region. Are you certain whatever you're doing is worth it?__

_*Sounds of tearing metal, startled shouting, and the roars of a leviathan class predator fills the pod before the predator presumably retreats*_

_[Hull damage sustained]_

_GAVINZ: What the absolute hell?! Alright, we've got some big fish in these waters, better include that in the distress call..._

_*Victor numbly sends out a distress call before presumably checking the onboard storage unit*_

_GAVINZ: Creature decoy blueprints! I've got a chance._

_*Victor opens the hatch and leaves the lifepod*_

_*Victors re-enters the lifepod roughly 13 minutes later*_

_GAVINZ: Alright I've got the supplies, now please let my fabricator be in working order_

_*Victor presumably creates the creature decoys*_

_GAVINZ: To any Alterra crew reading this pod's automatic log. Landed in area of significant alien activity. Encountered predators in the leviathan class, highly aggressive. Spectroscope scanner assigned species designator 'Reaper'. One specimen attempted to swallow the lifepod, doing extensive damage in the process. Only viable option is to make for the safety of the Aurora crash site.  
I have retrieved a databox with the creature decoy, and enough resources to fabricate a couple of them. The swim's longer than the decoy lifetime, but it should just be enough to keep them busy. If you don't find me onboard the ship, presume I miscalculated._

_*Victor leaves the lifepod through the top hatch*_

_*Roughly 3 minutes later, a roar echoes through the lifepod as it is tipped upside down*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These logs are fun to write :p


	4. Lifepod 05 Detachment Log

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HOWDY, it's ya boi

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member ''Non-Essential Maintenance Chief Ryley Robinson" has entered the lifepod]_

_*Ryley is fervently whispering the word please continuously*_

_[Lifepod detached from pod OK]_

_*The whispering stops and Ryley remains silent*_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

_[Heavy damage sustained]_

_*The fire extinguisher falls from its holding place and slides around the lifepod*_

_*Ryley begins fervently whispering the word no continuously*_

_*A panel falls from the wall and begins to clatter around the lifepod*_

_[Life support systems failed]_

__*Whispering of the word no becomes louder and more fervent*_ _

__

_*The panel slams into Ryley's head, rendering him unconscious*_

__

_[Impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

__

_[Flotation deployment successful]_

__

_*The lifepod is dead silent besides the sparking of the exposed circuitry*_

__

_*Roughly 9 minutes after impact, the exposed circuitry catches fire*_

__

_*The crackle of a slowly growing fire fills the pod*_

__


	5. Lifepod 06 Detachment Log

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :D

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Passenger 13 'Kahrin Astudon' has boarded the lifepod]_

_ASTUDON: How do I make it launch?! How do I make it launch?!_

_*Kahrin proceeds to scurry around the lifepod presumably in search of the launch button*_

_[Crew Member 'Chief Human Resources Officer Lauren Pella' has entered the lifepod]_

_ASTUDON: You! How do I launch this thing?!_

_PELLA: Like this, ma'am._

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

_ASTUDON: Get to a seat ma'am, this might get bumpy._

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_ASTUDON: What happened to the ship?!_

_PELLA: No idea ma'am._

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

_ASTUDON: Well what could have done damage like that?!_

_PELLA: I have no idea ma'am._

_[Impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Damage sustained]_

_[Fuel line breached]_

_[Flotation devices deployed successfully]_

_ASTUDON: Has it stopped?_

_PELLA: I think so, ma'am._

_*Sounds of top hatch opening and Lauren trying to stop Kahrin*_

_ASTUDON: There's nothing around for miles!_

_PELLA: Ma'am, please come back down! We don't even know if the air is breathable!_

_ASTUDON: What are we supposed to do?! I don't want to die here!_

_PELLA: Let me check the radio here and send a distress call._

_*Lauren sends the distress call*_

_PELLA: Alright we have rendezvous coordinates, how well do you swim, ma'am._

_ASTUDON: I... I don't..._

_PELLA: Do you know how to swim ma'am?_

_*Kahrin begins sobbing*_

_*Lauren sighs*_

_PELLA: Don't worry ma'am, our fabricator seems to be in working order, so I'll see if I can scrape together the materials for a seaglide._

_ASTUDON: Y-You won't leave me here right?_

_PELLA: Of course not, I'll be back in a little bit._

_*Lauren exits the lifepod through the bottom hatch*_

_*Kahrin begins sobbing again*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the reason why Lauren went to collect materials cause I'm pretty sure there's no radiation in the water till after the Aurora explodes, and if I'm wromg w/e tbh


	6. Lifepod 07 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Technician James Mackenzie' has boarded the lifepod]_

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

_MACKENZIE: Come on, come on! Don't you fail on me you piece of garbage!_

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entereing planetary atmosphere]_

_*James is holding his breath*_

_[Lifepod impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Flotation deployment failed]_

_[Internal damage sustained]_

_MACKENZIE: DAMN IT!_

_*Crash*_

_MACKENZIE: Well, I didn't sink too far, let's make sure everything's in order..._

_*James presumably roots through the storage unit*_

_MACKENZIE: No scanner, typical, at least there's provisions, but those can't last too long... Let's get something to make sure that fabricator's working right..._

_*James leaves the lifepod, returning roughly 3 minutes later with an unknown aquatic animal, designated Peeper*_

_MACKENZIE: Now let's cook this bad boy up._

_*James puts the peeper in the fabricator*_

_MACKENZIE: What?! Where's my fish?! Is this a knife...made out of bone? I had a whole ass fish and this thing... Is obviously faulty, great, just what I needed today. Well might as well throw more materials into this thing to make sure it's truly busted. But what happened to all that meat, did my fabricator just... Absorb it? Well no point in questioning I suppose, I'll just have to move forward with trial and error._


	7. Lifepod 12 Detachment Log

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the mad lad of this series right here, it's Danby time!

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Medical Officer Brandon Danby' has entered the lifepod_ _]_

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

_DANBY: I'm not dying here universe! I didn't get my medical degree to die on some far flung spitball of a planet!_

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

_DANBY: Come on lifepod, hold it together._

_[Impacting large body of water, deployiNg flotation devices]_

_[Flotation deployment failed]_

_DANBY: Am I sinking now? Great. At least this thing hasn't sprung a leak, so that's one thing in my favor._

_*Crash*_

_DANBY: 250 meters down. Well it could be worse, now to call for help._

_DANBY: Gah! Radio's busted to hell! It's only sending off the emergency signal, it's not even able to receive messages! Better go get the materials for a repair tool. Now, the storage unit._

_*Danby roots through the storage unit before laughing triumphantly*_

_DANBY: A databox for a god damn repulsion cannon?! I'll take it! A bit useless until I can cobble together a propulsion cannon, but maybe I can find one in the sand somewhere around here, there were probably a lot on the Aurora, I've just got to look around._

_*Danby leaves the lifepod through the top hatch*_


	8. Lifepod 13 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online.]_

_[Passenger 07 'Emissary Jochi Khasar' has boarded the lifepod.]_

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated.]_

_KHASAR: My creators, the cherishers and sustainers of worlds, give me this day my daily pleasures, as I give to those who seek pleasures from me._

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK.]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere.]_

_[External temperature approaching critical levels.]_

_KHASAR: Show me the path, in Life, Truth, and Love. For mine is the power, I am the one. On and off and on again._

_[Exterior hull damage sustained.]_

_[Life support systems failed.]_

_[Impact imminent.]_

_KHASAR: Life is a game, which I am not ready to quit playing. Universe, find it within yourself to spare this pawn from such a fate as this. Athem._

_[Monitering equipment damaged]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much changed here, but Khasar isn't dead don't worry.


	9. Lifepod 17 Detachment Log

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Senior Engineer Maya LaFette has boarded the lifepod]_

_*LaFette is at the top of the ladder shouting at someone outside the pod*_

_*LaFette descends down the ladder and takes a seat*_

  
_[Crew Member 'Cafeteria Personnel Oscar Waymeen' has boarded the lifepod]_

  
_OZZY: Sorry to keep you waiting!_

_LAFETTE: Any longer and I would've left without you, the hell were you doing out there?_

  
_[Lifepod detachment from Aurora failed]_

  
_OZZY: Wh-Whats happening?! Why isn't the lifepod detaching?!_

_LAFETTE: Must be something wrong with the mechanism, probably damaged. We need to-_

  
_*The screeching sound of tearing metal echoes through the pod*_

  
_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

_LAFETTE: Or that works I suppose._

  
_OZZY: Alright, we're gonna make it, we're gonna-_

  
_*Crash*_

  
_[Lifepod struck by debris]_

_OZZY: Was that the seamoth bay?!_

  
_[Impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

  
_[Flotation deployment failed]_

  
_*Crash*_

  
_OZZY: We're-we're OK? We're OK!_

_LAFETTE: I wouldn't count our chickens yet, we need to get out of this pod._

_OZZY: Why? Can't we just wait till rescue? They- they will send someone for us right?_

_*Lafette pulls an oxygen tank out of the storage unit*_

_LAFETTE: Maybe, but I'm not willing to bet on it. I'mma head out and get a look at where we've landed._

  
_*LaFette leaves the pod through the top hatch*_

_*Ozzy restlessly tries to get comfortable in his chair.*_

_*Lafette enters the pod through the top hatch*_

_LAFETTE: Looks like our pod is wedged in a cave opening, I'm gonna go down there and see if I can get enough titanium together to make you an oxygen tank._

  
_OZZY: D-did you see anything down there?_

_LAFETTE: Nope, couldn't see anything down there. There's some fish in the water with mouths full of needles though, so I wouldn't recommend going for a swim. I'll be headin' out now, you can start worrying if I'm not back in ten minutes._

_*LaFette leaves the pod through the bottom hatch.*_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's in a Subnautica mood


	10. Lifepod 19 Detachment Log

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go last one! Then the meat of the story. I might do a little series of logs along side the story or something of the sort idk I just like writing these :3

_[Lifepod systems online]_

_[Crew Member 'Second Officer Marcus Keen' has boarded the lifepod_ ]

_[Lifepod launch sequence initiated]_

_[Lifepod detached from Aurora OK]_

_[Entering planetary atmosphere]_

_[Monitoring open radio broadcast between Second Officer Keen and Captain Hollister]_

_CAPTAIN: This is Aurora, come in!_

_KEEN: This is Keen, lifepod detached okay, planetfall in 30 seconds!_

_CAPTAIN: The computer has identified a landmass at the attached coordinates! I want you to regroup the crew there!_

_KEEN: Understood, but-_

_CAPTAIN: They're your responsibility now, don't let them down!_

_KEEN: Captain you need to evacuate!_

_CAPTAIN: Negative, you'll need the ship in one piece if you're going to contact HQ on the long-range. I'm attempting a controlled descent._

_*Explosion aboard the Aurora*_

_KEEN: Captain?!_

_*Static*_

_[Impacting large body of water, deploying flotation devices]_

_[Flotation deployment failed]_

_KEEN: Hollister... No, there's no time for that. I have to regroup the crew._

_*Keen sends the rendezvous message over the radio*_

_[Hull damage sustained]_

_KEEN: Hell, this thing is flooding, better get out of here. And to all crew - If you are reading this then you have followed the automatic distress signal broadcast by this lifepod's onboard computer, contrary to my orders. I have been forced to evacuate. Your orders are to disregard my safety and attempt to reach the designated rendezvous co-ordinates at the nearest landmass. I hope to see you there._


	11. The one fire on the ocean planet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO

"Hey is that a lifepod over there?"

Jane was attempting to raise her hand above the water to point at the distant shape bobbing on the water, and as ineffective as it was, Gale still caught sight of it.

"Jane, I think you're right! Another spot of luck for us."

The two began fervently swimming for the bobbing shape, which upon closer inspection was indeed a lifepod. Jane swam up to the lifepod and began to climb the ladder on the side of the lifepod. "Do you think there's anyone in there, Gale?"

Gale followed her up the ladder, "Lets find out." Gale swung open the top hatch of the lifepod to issue a greeting but was interrupted by a face full of smoke. "There's a fire blazing in there! I'm going to put it out."

Gale climbed down into the lifepod, quickly making out the figure sitting unconscious in one of the lifepod's chairs and the fire extinguisher on the floor. He scooped up the extinguisher and quickly doused the flames before calling up to his companion. "It's safe to come down, Jane! There's someone in here, but they're unconscious." While Jane climbed down the ladder, Gale disengaged the harness from the sleeping survivor and laid him on the floor.

Jane crouched down next to the man, "What's wrong with him?"

Gale gave him a cursory look before looking over to the storage unit and began rooting through it. "No clue, and it doesn't look like there's a scanner in here. Let's see if we can find the materials to make one.

Jane looked down at the water-facing hatch, with a hesitant look on her face. Gale shook his head, "It's fine, I'll go down there and get the materials to make it.

Jane snapped her head toward him. "Absolutely not! I admit it's not...ideal, but I'll manage. What do we need for it?" 

Gale opened up the fabricator interface. "It says we need titanium and a battery." Gale pulled a face as he pulled up the battery recipe on the interface. "And to make a battery we're going to need... Some kind of mushroom? And some copper."

"Let me see." Jane pushed Gale aside to get a look at the battery ingredients. "Alright let's get searching then!" 

Gale nudged her aside and pulled up a different recipe on the fabricator interface. "While we're out we should gather materials to make us a pair of survival knives. We're going to need...more titanium and silicon rubber, which we can make with..." Gale squinted at the screen. "I have no idea what these are but keep an eye out for them."

Jane looked past him at the screen, "Oh I think I saw those hanging off of those weird vine things we passed on the way here!" Gale smiled, "Great! If you get those and the mushrooms I'll handle the metals."

Jane opened up the bottom hatch, "Gotcha, I'll meet you back here in a few minutes." She slipped out of the hatch and into the water.

Gale spared one last glance at the unconscious man lying on the floor before following her lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright I might be a bit rusty at writing normally so tell me anything you might have a problem with, whether it be the sentence structure or what. Also tell me if you'd like longer chapters! Cause there was a bit more I wanted to add on to this one but I didn't want it to get too long. Next up; the continuation.


	12. Onward!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and Gale 2: The Electric Boogaloo Now longer!

Jane was feeling uncomfortable in the open water, to say the least. There were large creatures that swam overhead that didn't seem to be too interested in her, but she couldn't help but to keep checking around her shoulder to make sure they weren't making any moves toward her. She had found the mushrooms they needed almost immediately just growing on the ocean floor, which just left the bulbous glowing pods growing off the side of the vines. She had swam over to the vines in no time, and began to take the pods, storing them in her divesuit storage inventory. Her PDA nearly scared the life out of her, stating that they were seed pods. Jane rolled her eyes and swam to the surface, reoriented herself, and swam back to Lifepod 05. She swam to the underside of the lifepod, briefly scanned the surrounding ocean for any sign of Gale, and hauled herself up through the bottom hatch only to find Gale sitting next to their unconscious co-worker. 

She smiled at Gale, "I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long." Gale stood up and walked over to her, taking a few chunks of metal out of his inventory, "No, I just finished refining the titanium, did you get the plants we need?" Jane pulled the mushrooms and seed pods out of her inventory, handing them to Gale. Gale offered a thanks before heading over to the fabricator. "One working scanner, here we go." He pulled the scanner out of the fabricator before walking over to the sleeping man, and passed the scanner over his head. He squinted at the results for a second, "Scanner says he has a minor head wound and a concussion. And that the best thing we could do for him is press ice against the wound and prevent him from falling asleep." He passed the scanner to Jane and moved over to the fabricator and began fiddling with it. "A bit late for that I suppose, so I'm gonna make us a pair of survival knives, you know, just in case. Then I'm gonna scan the seaglide and see if there are any bugs I need to work out." 

Jane looked pointedly at him, "Or now that we can make batteries we just replace that unstable piece of garbage with one of those." 

Gale shook his head and handed Jane a knife before taking the scanner and running it over his souped-up seaglide and cringing at the results. Jane looked over at him. "What's wrong with it?" 

Gale sighed, "Well I hate to say it, but you're right. This thing could've killed us if we'd tried riding here on it. I'm gonna try and fix it so that it won't explode." 

Jane rolled her eyes, "Are you sure we need it to go that fast? We haven't seen anything fast enough to catch up to us swimming yet, let alone on a seaglide." 

Gale tweaked a wire in the seaglide. "Just because we haven't yet doesn't mean we're not going to! And we're going to escpecially need the extra speed if we're hauling sleeping beauty over there to the rendezvous!" 

Jane cast her eyes down, "You have a point. Sorry I'm really stressed and the thought that we could've die trying to ride that thing earlier..." Gale paused in his work for a second, "I understand, and for what it's worth I'm sorry for nearly getting us killed earlier. I was just so scared of what could be in the ocean that I was willing to risk it, even if it wasn't really worth it..." 

Gale resumed his work on the seaglide before something sparked and he yelled in frustration. "I will get this thing to work damn it!" He cast a glance at Jane, "Jane why don't you go out and catch us lunch while I try to get this thing working properly." 

Jane paled, "L-Lunch? You mean like, actually eating a living creature? Like one of those weird eyeball fish?" Gale put a hand on his face. "Oh, trust me I don't like it either, but I figure we catch some now while there are a lot of them instead of wasting our protein bars because we don't know the breeding patterns or the migration habits of these things and I don't want to get caught with my pants down when we wake up tomorrow and there are no fish to be found." 

Jane closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, "Alright. I'll go catch us some fish. To eat." Mustering all of her willpower, she lifted the bottom hatch of the lifepod and plunged once again into the ocean. Immediately she saw several eyeball fish dart away, and she swam after them, catching one, then two, a third, her PDA identifying them all as peepers. Before returning to the lifepod she grabbed an odd yellow fish that her PDA identified as a bladderfish.

Gale turned to the sound of the lifepod hatch and grinned. "The seaglide's all fixed up, we'll be sailing for the rendezvous in no time!"

Jane smiled a little. "Great, here's the menu for lunch, do you want peeler or bladderfish?"

Gale eyed the offered fish and narrowed his eyes. "Bladderfish. It's got less eyeball."

Jane sighed and went over to the fabricator too cook up their fish. "Coward. I'll..." She paused looking at the peeper in her hand, before pulling out another peeper and laying them side by side. "Hey Gale, green sots is probably bad right?"

Gale looked at the offending fish. "Those don't look healthy at all, you should throw it back." 

Jane shrugged, pulled up the hatch and dropped the peeper in the water. "Plenty more fish in the sea I suppose." She then cooked up the bladderfish and one of the remaining peepers before handing the cooked bladderfish to Gale. "Down the hatch."

Gale grimaced at the dead animal in his hand before toasting his fish with Jane. "To new experiences."

Jane let out a bitter laugh before they bit into their fish. Jane squeezed her eyes shut at the flavor and texture of the fish but kept eating until she finished it. When she finally opened her eyes Gale was still looking at half a bladderfish with a look of apprehension. Jane laughed, "And here I thought I'd have more trouble with this than you."

Gale made a gagging noise. "I don't know how you are that thing, this thing is awful."

Jane laughed before moving over to the fabricator. "I wonder if we can make a bottle of water with this thing." She scrolled through the interface for a minute before groaning.

Gale turned from the tail of the bladderfish he was still trying to finish off. "What's the matter?" 

Jane looked over at him. "We can use bladderfish to make water bottles, those things apparently naturally filter water."

Gale swallowed the last bite of fish before sighing. "I suppose we're gonna need to stock up on those before we head out. For us and for any one we meet at the rendezvous."

Jane cast a reluctant look down at the lifepod hatch. "Here's to hoping they haven't left without us."

Gale leaned down and flung open the hatch. "Please, where are they going to go?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next: The Marvelous Misadventures of Mister Medical Fraud


	13. The Marvelous Misadventures of Doctor Medical Fraud

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I LIIIIIIVE
> 
> Sorry this took so long to get out, I'mma be perfectly honest here, it was about 15% real life stuff and 85% procrastination that made this chapter so late. I did start it a couple of times but it ended up getting deleted and I just couldn't get myself to actually type everything out ya know. Anyway, the Danby chapter.
> 
> Btw I'm gonna start a few other Subnautica fics. One being a one shot collection of the sole survivor timeline to help get in the practice of writing Ryley. It's for variety, so that I don't get tired of writing this.

Leaving his lifepod, it turned out, was a mistake. Danby had gazed out of the hatch that wasn't planted against the ground and seen creatures roughly the same size as himself, and so he left his lifepod to gather materials while desperately hoping that the creatures were herbivores. He got his answer when they started to charge him as soon as he left his lifepod. Dodging the best he could, he cast his gaze around to see if there was anything nearby he could at least grab. As luck would have it, a sizable piece of the Aurora's hull was lodged in the ground, dodging another charge from one of the predators, he planted his feet against the ground and pulled the wreckage up out of the sand and stored it in his suit's inventory. One of the predators rushed by him again and he mentally cursed before pulling out his scanner and scanning it.

The newly christened Bonesharks finally left him alone to chase after a nearby fish. Danby watched them hunt and came to a grim realisation, he hadn't eaten at all today. He was starving and he was going to have to eat actual fish. Steeling himself, he swam and caught two fish that his PDA identified as Eyeeyes. He spotted a third fish, this one with strange green spots, but he was so hungry he would take what he could get. As he reached out to grab the fish he had to hold in a scream when one of the bonesharks buried it's teeth into his leg, and while it luckily let go, he was still left with an aching wound on his leg as he swam furiously back to his lifepod, opening and closing the hatch as quickly as possible as to not let much water in.

Danby shakily put a hand against his wounded leg and nearly cried out when it came away almost completely red. He reached for the medical kit fabricator, struggling with the latch because of how bad he was shaking, before finally pulling out the med-kit and applying the nanobot strip to the wound to let them stitch the flesh back together. Danby grit his teeth as the nanobots did their work and staggered over to the fabricator to break down the salvage he had pulled up. He placed it onto the fabricator and curled up on the floor. "I think I'm actually going to die down here..." The fabricator finishes it's work and Danby remains lying on the floor for a few minutes before pulling himself up using the fabricator. By now the nanobots had finished and all that was left of the wound was the adrenaline that it had sent flooding into his bloodstream. Danby took in a deep breath and let it out as he steadied himself and took the titanium off of the fabricator. 

"Alright Brandon, get a hold of yourself. You're not going to die down here. You're going to build a bloody air tank and you're going to salvage the materials to build a seabase, and you are going to be fine." As he tried to calm himself, he put the titanium back into the fabricator and hit the air tank icon, with it producing his air tank a few minutes later. "Half an hour of air, should be enough for short trips for collecting stuff." He strapped it to his back and fit the respirator against his mouth. He breathed in and out to steady himself once more before climbing back out into the water.

Danby immediately swam a few meters up, hoping to get away from his pod before the predators spotted him again. The two predators that had accosted him earlier were now a few dozen meters away from his pod, but he kept his eye on them for several seconds before casting a glance around. Strange, bulb-like bushes dotted the landscape, as well as several other predators of the same species as those that had attacked him and a few strange eel-like creatures with electricity arcing across their bodies. Danby couldn't decide on where to start with his search for salvagable materials, so he decided to stick relatively close to the seafloor, giving the electricity generating creatures as well as the predators a wide birth as he travelled up a slope. What he saw at the top of the slope made him start swimming as hard as he could.

At the top of the slope, a large chunk of the Aurora hang over a cliff, casting off sparks. Danby almost went straight in before he saw the databox on the ground outside the wreck, and then noticed the pieces of equipment lying around it. He beat his arms and legs against the water, pulling out his scanner. He scanned the databox content, gaining the blueprint for a light weight high capacity air tank. It wouldn't do him any good without a modification station, but that could wait. He scanned the pieces of equipment around the wreck, creating the full blueprint for a scanner room, and a light stick. He was able to scan a fragment of a modification station and two pieces of a propulsion gun, but was unable to find anything else outside the wreck. Deciding that he had gathered everything he could outside the wreck, he dove into the wreck itself and came away with the blueprint for a stasis gun and a nutrient bar, a bottle of water, and a battery. As he swam out of the wreck the way he came in, he took a look at the amount of air left in his tank.  _Three minutes worth._ He started swimming for the surface, as quickly as he could.  _"Thirty seconds of air left."_ Danby felt fear surge, he wasn't going to make it he was- fine. He broke the surface before it even reached twenty and breathed heavily as his air tank refilled with air, staring down at his lifepod's signal and then looking at his surroundings. There was an island, a huge island a decently far distance. Danby sighed, if his lifepod was damaged at least there would be a place he could retreat to to at least live temporarily.

Danby swam back down to his lifepod, gasping for air as he finally made it. Outside he heard to thumping sounds and the sounds of breaking glass. Looking up, he saw the two bonesharks attempting to force their way into the pod after him, breaking the hatch in the process. "FUCK! FUCKING BONESHARKS FUCKING OCEAN FUCKING BROKEN ASS GODDAMN ESCAPE POD!" Water was now flooding into the lifepod as Danby hurriedly used his fabricator to cook the fish he had caught, eating them as soon as they we're done. He gagged as he bit into the eyeball of The first one, but hunger won through as he powered through the second one. He was left feeling unsatisfied, but the water was up to his knees now, and the bonesharks were now attempting to peel away the hull around the hatch. He pulled put his PDA and pressed the voice log option "This is Medical Officer Danby, I've been forced to flee my lifepod, as it has been compromised by local predators. I will be making my way to the island nearby. I hope to see you there. Danby out." His PDA spat out the voice log module and Danby climbed the ladder and pushed away the destroyed hatch.

One of the bonesharks immediately tried to snap at him, but he reared back a fist and punched it in the eye. It made a keening sound before swimming away. The second bonesharks lunged at him, biting his arm. Danby yelled into his oxygen mask as he hammered his other fist into the predators eye until it let go and swam away like it's partner. With the bonesharks successfully driven off, Danby swam to the surface and after letting out a sigh at the thought of how much more swimming he'd have to do, he started the swim to the island.

There was something big in the water and Danby wasn't having any of it. He had made it to the island, and had caught sight of something huge down the slope underwater. He stared after it for a few seconds before making his way back toward the surface, when something appeared directly in front of him with a swirl of blue and an ungodly noise. Danby froze. In front of him was a strange purple and teal creature, seeming to look as alien as physically possible. Danby could see the scythes on it's arms and he was  _terrified_. It turned to him, and for a second, he thought this was the end. But then it siimply gave him an almost curious look and seemed to circle around him almost as if inspecting him. With one more ungodly sound it flashed away in a swirl of blue, leaving Danby staring dumbly at open water, until being jolted out of his trance by a distant roar. He broke the surface of the water and crawled onto land, throwing his respirator off. 

"Finally sweet fucking land!" He laid down in the sand before looking up and recoiling in shock. "What the hell is that!" He pushed himself to his feet and walked over the ridge to take a closer look at the alien spire. "I thought something knocked us out of the sky... But who the hell could've built something like this?!" He moved around the side of the spire, finding some sort of entrance covered by a flickering green field. Danby pressed his hand flat against it, looking at it curiously. "What the hell..." He turned his attention to the small structure near the entrance and flinched back as it reacted to his presence. A screen raised outward from the paneling, presenting a strange purple symbol. Danby's eyebrows creased together in curiosity, "What am I even looking at? Are these symbols even human..?" Danby looked to the sky, the sun was getting low. Danby cast a glance back to the entrance of the structure, "That'd be a safe place to rest for the night, I wonder if this thing opens that somehow..." Danby pressed his hand against the terminal, issuing no response. Danby cast his gaze around the nearby sand, his eyes catching on something slightly sticking out.

He dug into the sand, his hand quickly hitting the object he sought to dig up. He pulled up, and wrenched what looked to be a broken piece of technology with half a symbol that seemed to match the one on the terminal. Danby looked down at it before looking back at the alien spire and pulling out his PDA. "This is Medical Officer Danby, upon arriving on this island I have discovered a structure of what I'm almost sure is alien origin, as well as a broken piece of alien technology." Danby looked up from his PDA at the tower before continuing. "I am... Unsure of its purpose. As of right now, I'm simply trying to piece together a way inside." Danby glanced down at the broken piece of technology in his hand before grtting the idea to scan it. His PDA pulls up the new info and Danby skims through it. "It seems I've found a piece of a...tablet of some sort? No info on possible uses but I have a hunch... I'll need to find a working one first, and maybe eat something, but I will get to the bottom of this mystery! Danby out." Danby sat down with his back against the energy field and stared out across the water at the setting sun. Things were looking up. With that thought, Danby passed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thats the long awaited chapter. Next up, uhh idk there are so many people I have to write a chapter for, y'all tell me who you wanna see next.


	14. Odds and Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh look the chapter is different wow crazy

Ozzy stared at his PDA as the time ticked up another minute. He let out a heaving sigh, he had already listened to the distress calls of the other survivors and plugged the co-ordinates into his PDA, but looking at all the signals pointing to destinations so far away was really bugging him and he need something to do. Ozzy got out of his chair to crouch down by the bottom hatch. He bit his lip, it hadn't even been more than two minutes since the woman who landed with him had gone down into the cave and he was already worried. He took a deep breath and threw up the hatch, lowering himself into the water below. He struggled in the water, but held onto the handle of the hatch to keep himself from having to rely on his poor swimming skills. He could barely see anything through the cave entrance except for the glowing plants around it's edge. He pushed up the hatch to take another breath and went back to staring into the abyss. He couldn't see anything down there, maybe if he got a little closer... Ozzy let himself sink down into the cave a little bit, keeping an eye on his oxygen level as he descended. Far down below, he thought he saw something writhe in the darkness. Ozzy nearly let out his breath as he frantically swam back up to the pod and practically threw himself inside. Once inside he frantically took out his PDA  and fiddled with it until he found the button he was looking for and hit it.

"Ozzy's log. It's the day of the crash. I don't know what the heck is happening. I'm scared and I'm not going outside. There are shadows in the water under the hatch but I can't tell if they're rocks, or aliens, and there's weird looking caves nearby. The Aurora was carrying everything needed to build the phasegate: mobile vehicle bays, bioreactors, propulsion cannons... It had a cinema. There-there was a zero-G gym. My cafe. I don't understand how we're here now. I don't know why no one's coming for me... Someone else landed with me, and she went down into the cave to find materials, but she hasn't come back yet... I'm scared."

He panicked and hit the end log button when something slammed into the bottom of the pod and backed as far as he could away from the hatch as his fellow survivor threw herself through it, slamming it behind her just as something large impacted the pod just behind her. Ozzy yelled as the pod began to lift upwards before falling on it's side as a pair of gigantic fangs pierced through the bottom of the pod. The woman gave him a scared expression, and it was only now that he realized she had a gaping wound in her chest.

"Hey, hey! You're injured let me.."  
  
Ozzy grabbed the med kit from where it had fallen to the floor and began to wrap it around her chest as she began shivering.

"Hey, it's ok, it's ok. Er, ya know I don't think I ever told you my name. It's Ozzy, what can I call you?"

Ozzy shakily wrapped the nanobot strip around her torso, trying to cover the entirety of the bite wound torn through her skin. Her only response was a heavy breath shakily taken in and breathed out. Ozzy was starting to think that he was probably doing more harm than good trying to talk to her before she responded.

"LaFette. I-I'm Maya LaFette, senior engineer. Please-please don't call me Maya though."

Ozzy nodded, sticking the last of of the bandage in place, "LaFette, that's a nice name. I worked in one of the cafes. It was pretty much mine, they let me decorate it however I wanted, it was great. I even made real stuff when we had it."

LaFette leaned heavily against the wall of the pod, breathing steadily as the beast that had followed her tried to break through the pod. Ozzy looked around the pod for anything to use before pressing a palm to his face in frustration.

"I forgot to send out a damn distress call! How can I be so stupid!"

LaFette watched him blankly as he ducked under the ladder to get to the radio. Ozzy fiddled with it for a few seconds before figuring out how to send a distress call; "This is Ozzy from the cafeteria, what the hell guys?! They didn't warn us this might happen! Our pod was almost crushed by the seamoth bay on the way down, now LaFette's injured and this grim-looking snake-thing's trying to eat through the hull! Come get us already!"

The bottom of the pod buckled as the creature bucked frantically. It seemed to be ready to break through the hull. LaFette pushed herself up off the floor and grabbed Ozzy's arm.  
  
"We have to go right now, can you swim?"

Ozzy cast a frantic gaze from her to the thrashing creature and back to her, "Not well, but you need to oxygen tank, you're injured."

LaFette growled and shoved the oxygen tank into his arms before pushing through the hatch and into the ocean beyond, leaving it to pour through into the pod. Ozzy yelped as he pulled on the straps of the tank and put on the mouth piece before following her. LaFette was already halfway to the surface and so Ozzy attempted to mimic her style of swimming with minimal success. He broke the surface of the water a full minute after she did and furiously rubbed water out of his eyes as he tried to get a fix on the signals around him.

LaFette was not having as much trouble treading water as he was and gestured to the nearby island, "We should head for dry land, we need to recuperate."

Ozzy nodded as he followed her gesture, "That's the rendezvous anyway we'll be able to meet the rest of the crew there! Are you having trouble with your wound?"

LaFette looked down at the bandage, it seemed to be stained worse than it was before. "I'll survive, can't do anything about it till we get to land anyway, now let's get a move on." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .3.


	15. Technical Difficulties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very angry man.

He had made it aboard the last available lifepod, he had scuttled across the ocean floor like a crustacean, and he had painstakingly searched the edges of the craggy ass seabed he had landed in for the right plant his fabricator wanted for the battery. And this is what he got.

James yelled at the top of his lungs, just trying to vent his aggression in a way that didn't further destroy his fabricator, as he threw the toy car across the pod and put his hands on either side of the malfunctioning appliance.

"WORK YOU PIECE OF GARBAGE!"

He let out a long sigh and sat down on the ground, he had been swimming around for the past hour, desperately trying to get his fabricator to produce something useful, but he only had a handful of knickknacks and abominations to show for it. Growling, he hit the fabricator again, only for it to come to life and spit out something unrecognisable. James stood dumbfounded for a second, staring at the mangled mass of what he assumed was meat.

"Alright you piece of trash, I'll get more materials." He climbed the ladder out of his lifepod, the oxygen tank that he had found in the pod's storage unit strapped to his back. He pushed up the hatch and climbed out into the water only to be pushed right back into the pod.

"What the hell!?"

A predator had pushed him back into his pod and was currently trying to shove itself through the opening of the hatch, growling and snapping at him as he lied on the floor.

"Alright you bloody creature, you want in, you can come in!"

James climbed the ladder, minding the creature's jaws, wrapped his arms around it's head, and pulled with all his strength. The creature was making a whining sound and was wriggling in his arms.

"Oh not so tough are you now, you oversize piece of garbage? You wanted in, you're coming in, damnit!"

The creature finally gave way, falling to the bottom of the pod and bringing him with it. James quickly scrambled back away from it and up the ladder to shut the hatch. The creature flopped on the floor for several minutes, making ungodly noises that slowly got quieter. James stayed on the ladder the whole time until the thing had finally stopped moving, only then did he undo the straps of his oxygen tank, hold it by one strap, lean down, and hit the creature on the head with it. Instantly, the thing was back to life flopping and screaming at the bottom of the pod as James withdrew his oxygen tank. This subsided after a minute or so, and when James hit it again, it didn't move.

James grinned, "Let's see what the fabricator thinks of you, fucker." He wrapped his arms behind the thing's jaws and hauled it up so that it's head was resting on the fabricator and pressed a button on the touch screen. The fabricator's processing lasers took the entire head of the beast, causing James to curse loudly as the stump of it's neck began bleeding all over the pod. The fabricator didn't yield anything after taking the head off beast, so with a frustrated growl, James lifted up the midsection of the creature to the fabricator. This time when it took a section of the body, it yielded what looked like a divesuit, made of the thick hide of the creature. James grinned, "Finally something I can actually fucking use!" He put on the divesuit, and while it was mildly stiff, it was very thick, and the hookup port from the helmet to the oxygen tank seemed to work properly. His fabricator lit up again, yielding something that looked like a steak, but was made out of a dull gray meat instead.

"Not the most appetizing thing I've ever had but it'll do after that fiasco earlier."

He bit into, only to recoil at his inability to bite through the meat. "Gah! It's as tough as leather! What's even the point of this damn thing!" He looked down at his feet as they splashed in the sickly yellow water coating the bottom of his pod, then up to the hatch. There was a thin sheet of water poring in around the hatch.

"Damn, looks like pulling that thing through really messed it up, I've got water coming in now..."

He put a hand to his chin and let out a sigh, "Suppose I'll have to abandon ship then, better leave a memo."

James pulled out his PDA and press the voice recorder option, "I've been forced to abandon my pod, I'll be making for the nearby island, and then later the pod floating closer to the ship. Sorry I missed you." The log module dropped to the floor of the pod and James hoisted himself up to the ladder. "Hopefully there's something actually edible on that island..." He hoisted himself out of the pod and shut the hatch behind him.


	16. Crash and Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just bros being bros and Khasar having bad luck

"My creators, the cherishers and sustainers of worlds, give me this day my daily pleasures, as I give to those who seek pleasures from me."

He can feel the pod jolt as it hurtles away from the Aurora, he hopes he lands somewhere hospitable. He could never have planned for this. Well, better him than her anyway.

"Show me the path, in Life, Truth, and Love. For mine is the power, I am the one. On and off and on again."

He can feel the pod getting warmer, it's a sauna before a piece of hull from the front breaks off and is thrown back into the lifepod. The flames are licking through the hole, and more are showing up to join them as the hull of the pod burns away. He's filled with fear, deep and primal, and in that moment as he's cooked alive inside his only chance at life, the flame licking his skin, ready to spin the circle anew, he wants to live.

"Life is a game, which I wish to continue playing. Find it within yourself to spare a pawn this fate. Athem."

The lifepod hit the water, and the front end imploded, inviting the rush of water to invade the vehicle and smash into Khasar. He felt a searing pain in his left arm and slammed at the button to free himself from the harness with his right. The moment the harness released, the water pushed him around in his lifepod before he was pushed up against the top hatch and out of the pod. Khasar struggled in the water as his pod sank below him. He had never swam in his adult life, and his interest in swimming as a youth was probably the only reason his pod's undertow hadn't dragged him down with it as he beat against the water with his injured arm and swam toward the surface with shaky, almost flailing movements, his vision nearly going dark before he could breach the surface. He gasped for air, but as he was barely keeping himself above the water he took in some water as well. He coughed for almost a full minute before he was able to fully orient himself. He could see a pair of lifepods floating in the distance, but they were so far they were nearly specks to him. In the distance was the Aurora in all it's glory, smoking and blazing. And there was an island on either side of him, although one was significantly farther away than the other. He wouldn't be able to swim for very long with the condition his arm was in, and the saltwater was hell on the burns he had incurred during his pod's descent, making his choice very clear. Khasar let out a sigh and began the laborious swim to the island on his left.

 

"Come on now Berkely, time's almost up. It's the moment of truth."

They had gather chunks of the Aurora's hull that had come crashing down with them and made several oxygen tanks to get them to the surface. Each would theoretically hold half an hour's worth of air, but this far down it wouldn't be so simple.

"Alright, I'm ready to go then. See you on the other side."

"Good luck!"

With that they plunged into the briny blue together and began their ascent toward the surface. Before they could leave the canyon they had crashed in completely, a purple creature with luminescent scythes on each hand began to approach them. Yu yelped and flailed away from the creature as it inspected her, and then Berkely who swam below her. The thing teleported away a few seconds after they had cleared it. The two shrugged off their tanks once their air supply had emptied and donned new ones from their PDA invetory. Berkely cast a glance to the side, seeing the behemoth of a creature he had spotted earlier swimming a good several hundred meters away from them. He let out a relieved sigh to himself, waiting for the thing to move out of their swim path was definitely a good choice. Once they had cleared the canyone walls, they were home free. The ascent was tough, and by the time the broke through the surface of the water, their muscles were screaming from the exertion, but they had made it.

Yu let out a laugh as she treaded water, ecstatic to be able to breath freely again. Berkely broke through a second later, letting out a cough as he took of his oxygen mask and accidentally took in some water.

Yu laughed, "Don't die now, Berkely, the hard part's over.

Berkely coughed again, "It's just adapting, if I breath in enough water, eventually I'll grow gills. That's how that works, trust me."

Yu shook her head and oriented herself toward the rendezvous point, "I'm not about to take biology lessons from an engineer, besides we need to get moving. The rendezvous is a whole two kilometers away."

Berkely let out a groan, "We just swam half a kilometer are you kidding me? Don't we get to rest?"

Yu started swimming, leaving Berkely to catch up to her pace, "Rest when you're dead, Berkely. Let's get a move on!"

He groaned as Yu picked up her pace, almost outmatching him. They swam for nearly half an hour before something caught Berkely's attention. 

"Hey Yu, look over there, does that look like someone swimming.?"

Yu paused before looking in the direction he was pointing. "Could be, I don't think anything meant to swim would be doing that poor of a job at it, shouldn't hurt to check it out."

The two swam over and as they got closer they recognized as definitely human. 

Berkely decided to call out to him, "Hey over here!"

This seemed to be the wrong move, as they man startled and sank.

The two of them swam over to the drowning man and hauled him up above the water.

Yu smiled at him, "Sorry about startling you, are you OK?"

The man coughed before grimacing, "It's quite alright, but my pod nearly burned up on the way down and it sank, I have burns covering almost my entire left side and I believe that my shoulder may be dislocated, so in conclusion, I am not decidedly not OK."

Berkely adjusted his grip on the man's arm, "Wait a sec, aren't you the mongolian?"

The man grimaced at him, "That I am, although my name is not 'the mongolian' as you alterrans seem to prefer to address me as."

Yu attempted a polite smile, "It's Khasar, right? I remember reading your name, but I didn't want to mangle it."

Khasar gave a half-smile, "Well you didn't get it too wrong, regardless, do you two know if a rendezvous point has been issued?"

Berkely smiled, "You're in luck, we were heading over there now. It's the island way off over there. It's about two kilometers out."

Khasar let out a long suffering sigh, "Of course. Would you two be so kind as to escort me there?"

Yu gave him a strained smile, "Of course, Emissary. Get on my back piggy-back style. That'll probably be the easiest way. And Berkely, don't even think that you're going to be getting off easy, we'll be switching out every so often."

Berkely sighed, "Wouldn't dream of it."

Khasar adjusted himself on Yu's back, "Thank you very much, could I have your names and stations?"

Berkely piped in, "I'm Berkely, an engineer. And Yu here is the chief technical officer."

Khasar brows furrowed, "Yu, isn't that a mongolian last name?"

She looked back at him, "Yeah, my parents left the mongolian states to get jobs in Alterra cause they weren't making enough to get by before."

Khasar looked away, "Ah."

As they continued to swim in the awkward silence that followed that, Berkely couldn't help but think that this would be a long swim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took so long cause I felt like most of the Berkely and Yu part of the chapter felt kind of bland and lifeless but I couldn't find a way to remedy that so sorry. :(

**Author's Note:**

> Pod 03 Female Survivor = Jane Chronister  
> Pod 03 Male Survivor = Gale Jamesson  
> Pod 04 Survivor = Victor Gavinz  
> Pod 06 Crew Member = Lauren Pella  
> Pod 06 Passenger = Kahrin Astudon  
> Pod 07 Survivor = James Mackenzie  
> Pod 17 Survivor= Maya LaFette
> 
> Also Ryley is going to have a personality roughly based off his actions in game, he's gonna be curious, headstrong, and kinda reckless and also passed out for several hours :p


End file.
